Apparatus for the treatment of heavy oils and other similar products with a view to their conversion into lighter products



y 3 A. JOSEPH 7,652,

APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF HEAVY OILS AND OTHER SIMILARTRQDUCTS I WITH A VIEW T0 THEIR CONVERSION INTQ LIGHTER PRODUQTS v Filed Dec. 27. 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 E U "5 E "'3 2m 32x 7 I 5 x 5 L; I I35; o 2% K! as u: k

M/VENTOR k E W M 35 Ga/nmovu, gkg I arrofiwzrs May 8, 1934. APJOSEPH 1,957,652 APPARATUS FOR was 'msmxnu'r or HE VY OILS AND OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS mm A VIEW TO THEIR CONVERSION INTO LIGHTER PRODUGTS Filed Dec 27. 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet .2

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Mme k1 Hare-2 so grouped, in a stove Patented May 8, 1934 APPARATUS FOR HEAVY OILS AND UCTS WITH THE OTHER SLMHAB PROD- A VIEW TO' THEIR CONVER- TBEATMENT OF SION INTO LIGHTER PRODUCTS mesne assignmen Alfred Joseph, Enghien, France, assignor, by

Houdry Process Corporation, Dover, DeL, a corporation of Delaware I Application December 27, 1930, Serial No. 505,1 1!) In France December 1, 1930 9 Claims. (01. 196-52) This invention relates to an apparatus for the treatment or heavy oils and other similar products with a view to their conversion into lighter products.

5 It has been previously proposed that hydrocarbons such as heavy oils and other similar products might be treated with a view to their conversion into lighter products in an apparatus, mainly characterized by units each comll prising a lower chamber for treatment in the presence ot a contact substance in tree communication with an upper chamber wherein as complete as possible preliminary vaporization is enacted, and that groups of said units might be located mutually parallel in the same stove.

The subject of the present invention is a particularly practical form or construction of such a group.

Tin-accordance with the invention, the units are in common, in such manner that the treatment lowed by cracking or by refining proper) is efiected in units alternating in the said common stove with units in which the regeneration of the con- 2 tact substance is being effected,- the liberation oi heat derived from the regeneration thus servmg to heat the units then in use for the treatment, whereas inversely the absorption of heat to the benefit oi these latter avoids any dangerous Elli superelevation of temperaturein the units undergoing regeneration. I This arrangement is illustrated diagrammatically on the annexed drawings, in which:-

Fig. l is a cross sectional elevation of a stove 35 in which there is for example a group of eight oil treating units constituting one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation along 11-11 of Fig. l and Fig. 3, which latter is a sectional plan ll along-M-E of Fig. 2.

As shownby the figures, the plant comprises,

than enclosure for retaining heat such as a stove p in common, by way of example a group of eight units, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, '1, 8 arranged mutually parallel. Each 01 these units comprises a lower cber b, in free communication with an upper chamber a. In the common vessel 11-!) is et- :Zecte'd vaporize-tion as complete as possible in the upper chamber a which has metal surfaces for a 5 flowin thin layers where the vaporization commences to be effected, such that the liquid treated,- such as a heavy hydrocarbon oil rendered less :l'iuid, enccimters immediately thereafter a porous contact substance on which it becomes entirely hivaporised. The products, whatever be their de- (preliminary vaporization iolgree of vaporization, pass directly, by gravity,

from the vaporization chamber a into the subjacent chamber b wherein either cracking or refining, according to temperature and purposes in view, is effected in the presence of a suitable metallic or oxymetallic catalyst, the whole 01 these operations being carried out according to circumstances and needs either at atmospheric pressure or at a reduced pressure or even at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure. P5 According to the present invention, the units are coordinated and the corresponding feeding mains for oil, steam, air, and cooling water, are disposed in such manner that the treatment (preliminary vaporization followed by cracking or refining proper) takes place in the even numbered 'units at the same time that in the odd numbered units, the regeneration of the contact substance by a stream of air or oxygen with or without an addition of steam, is being efiected. 75

Preferably, with a view to facilitating the fitting at the desired level of the various reed and exhaust pipes, the distributing and exhaust mains are arranged on one side and the other side of a plane r--a: of the common stove, perpendicular to the said units. As shown on the drawings, a

-main c for the distribution 0! oil to the units 0! the even set 2, 4, 6, 8 is located on the right or the stove, whereas a corresponding main or is located on the left for the units of the odd set 1, 3, 5, 7. Similarly, a main d for distributing steam into the upper chambers a of the odd, is located on the left of the stove, whereas the corresponding main d1 is located on the right. A main e for the supply of regenerating fluid is located on g the right for feeding the units of the even set 2, 4, 6, 8 whereas a corresponding main e1 is located on the left for feeding the units of the odd set. Mains f1 and f for the outlet or oil vapours or other products treated are located re- 9 spectively on the right for the odd units and on the left for the even units. Finally, there is the same arrangement of the mains h and hi for the gases derived from the regeneration, and for the mains i and ii from which extend the distribut- 1 ing pipes 1' ii for water or other cooling fluid, such fluid escaping respectively by the mains k and k1. Obviously, all these mains and pipes are fitted with the necessary stop-cocks.

It is easy to see that the units of the odd set 1 5 being for example in the operative phase, whilst the units of the even set which alternate with the former are in the regeneration phase, there will be set up through the walls of the units an exchange 01 heat which will heat the odd elements 1 by the heat disengaged in the units of the even pair, and vice versa. a

The regeneration phase, which will be conducted at a temperature slightly above 1000" F., will be controlled in such a way that the heat transferred to the 'units in the operative phase by radiation and convection will be within the range of 800 to 1000 F., preferably at about 850 F. Both vaporization of heavy oil and cracking or refining of the vapor will take place at the last named temperature-through the use of proper contact masses or catalysts. For the vaporizing mass, any inert porous material in lump form may be used, such as pumice stone, broken brick or molded pieces of the porous carrier disclosed and claimed in my United States Patent No. 1,818,403, issued August 11, 1931. The catalytic mass for cracking or refining may consist of known materials such as broken fragments of iron or nickel or oxides of such metals, preferably in or on a carrier such as that disclosed in my aforesaid United States Patent No. 1,818,403, or mixed with other active material such as hydrosilicate of alumina and molded into pieces of desired size and shape, asdisclosed in the copending application of Eugene Houdry, Serial No. 600,581, filed March 23, 1932. The reactions, both of operation and of regeneration, preferably take place substantially at atmospheric pressure.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for the treatment of heavy oils for conversion thereof into lighter products, comprising a stove, a plurality of treating units housed within said stove, each of said units including an upper chamber and a lower chamber in free communication with one anothergmeans for supplying a heavy oil to the tops of said upper chambers, means for effecting a preliminary vaporization of said oil in said upper chambers, means for cracking or refining the preliminarily vaporized oil in said lower chambers, means for exhausting the cracked or refined products therefrom, means for supplying a regenerating fluid to each of said units, and means for exhausting the products of regeneration therefrom, said units being divided into a plurality of groups, the units of each group being connected in parallel with one another, and said groups being adapted for alternate oil treating and regenerating operation, the liberation of heat by those units undergoing regeneration and the absorption of said liberated heat by the units simultaneously operating to treat the oil serving both to avoid any dangerous superelevation of temperature in the first named units and to promote the treating process in said last named units.

2. An apparatus for the treatment of heavy oils for the conversion thereof into lighter products, comprising a stove, a plurality of substantially rectangular treating units housed in close juxtaposition within said stove and each extending transversely the width thereof, each of said units including an upper chamber and a lower chamber in free communication with one another,

means for supplying a heavy oil to the tops of of groups, each group comprising alternate nonadjacent units connected in parallel with one another, and said groups being adapted for alternate oil treating and regenerating operation, the liberation of heat by the units of the group undergoing regeneration and the absorption of said liberated heat by the units of the group simultaneously operating to treat the oil serving both to avoid any dangerous superelevation of temperature in the first named group and to promote the treating process in said last named group.

3. An apparatus for the treatment of heavy oils for the conversion thereof into lighter products, comprising a stove, a plurality of substantially rectangular treating units housed in close juxtaposition within said stove and each extending transversely the width thereof, each of said units including an upper chamber and a lower chamber in free communication with one another, means for supplying a heavy oil to the tops of said upper chambers, means for effecting a preliminary vaporization of said oil in said upper chambers, means for cracking or refining the preliminarily vaporized oil in said lower chambers, means for exhausting the cracked or refined products therefrom, means for supplying a regenerating fiuid to each of said units, means for exhausting the products of regeneration therefrom, said units being divided into a pair of-groups, each group comprising alternate non-adjacent units connected in parallel with one another, the oil supply, cracked or refined product exhaust, regenerating fluid supply and regeneration product exhaust means for the units of each of said groups being connected in parallel, and separate mains for the parallel supply and exhaust means of each group, said mains being disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal center plane of said stove.

4. An apparatus for the treatment of heavy oils for the conversion thereof into lighter products, comprising a stove, a plurality of substantially rectangular treating units housed in close juxtaposition within said stove and each ex tending transversely the width thereof, each of said units including an upper chamber and a lower chamber in free communication with one another, means for supplying a heavy oil to the tops of said upper chambers, means for supplying steam to the tops of said upper chambers, for effecting a preliminary vaporization of said oil in said upper chambers means for cracking or refining the preliminarily vaporized oil in said lower chambers, means for exhausting the cracked or refined products therefrom, means for supplying air for regeneration to each of said units, means for exhausting the products of regeneration therefrom, means for circulating cooling water within said units during regeneration, said units being divided into a pair of groups each group comprising alternate non-adjacent units, the oil, steam, air and water supply means for the units of each of said groups being connected in parallel, and separate mains for the parallel supply means of each group, said mains being disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal center plane of said stove.

5. In apparatus for the treatment of heavy oils units, and means for exhausting the products of regeneration therefrom, said units being divided into a plurality of groups, the units of each group being connected in parallel with one another, and said groups being adapted for alternate oil treating and regeneration operation, the liberation of heat by those units undergoing regeneration and the absorption of said liberated heat by the units simultaneously operating to treat the oil serving both to avoid any dangerous superelevation of temperature in the first named units and to promote the treating process in said last named units.

6. In apparatus for the treatment of heavy oils comprising a stove, a plurality of hollow treating units spaced from one another but in close juxtaposition within said stove and each extending transversely the width thereof, means for supplying a heavy oil to the tops of said units, means within said units for modifying said oil, means for exhausting the modified oil from said units, means for supplying a regenerating fluid to each of said units, and means for exhausting the products of regeneration therefrom, said units being divided into a pair of groups, each group comprising alternate non-adjacent units connected in parallel with one another, and said groups being adapted for alternate oil" treating and regenerating operation, the liberation of heat by the units of the group undergoing regeneration and the absorption of said liberated heat by the units of the group simultaneously operating to treat the oil serving both to avoid any dangerous superelevation of temperature in the first named group and to promote the treating process in said last named group.

'7. In apparatus for the treatment of heavy oils comprising a stove, a plurality of separate hollow substantially rectangular units housed in close juxtaposition within said stove and each extending transversely the width thereof, means for supplying a heavy oil to the tops of said units, means within said units for modifying said oil, means for exhausting the modified oil from said units, means for supplying a regenerating fluid to each of said units, and means for exhausting the products of regeneration therefrom, said units being divided into a pair of groups, each group comprising alternate non-adjacent units connected in parallel with one another, and said groups being adapted for alternate oil treating and regenerating operation, the liberation of heat by the units of the group undergoing regeneration and the absorption of said liberated heat by the units of the group simultaneously operating to treat the oil serving both to avoid any dangerous superelevation of temperature in the first named group and to promote the treating process in said last named group, the oil supply, exhaust for treated oil, regenerating fluid supply, regenerated product, and exhaust means for the unitsof each of said groups being connected in paral lel, and separate mains for the parallel supply and exhaust means of each group, said mains being disposed on the opposite sides of the longitudinal center plane of said stove.

8. In apparatus for the treatment of heavy oils comprising a stove, a plurality of separate hollow treating units housed in close juxtaposition within said stove and each extending transversely the width thereof, means for supplying a heavy oil to the tops of said units, means for supplying steam to the tops of said units to eiiect partial vaporization of the oil therein, and means for exhausting the treated oil and steam from said units, means for supplying air for regeneration to each of said units, and means for exhausting the products or regeneration therefrom, means for circulating cooling water through said units during regeneration, said units being divided into a pair of groups, each group comprising alternate non-adjacent units connected in parallel with one another, and said groups being adapted for alternate oil treating and regenerating operation, the liberation of heat by the units of the group undergoing regeneration and the absorption 0! said liberated heat by the units of the group simultaneously operating to treat the oil serving both to avoid any dangerous superelevation oftemperature in the first named group and to promote the treating process in said last named group, the oil, steam, air and water supply means for the units of each of said groups being connected in parallel, and separate mains for the parallel supply and exhaust means of each group, said mains being disposed on the opposite sides of the longitudinal center plane of said stove.

9. In apparatus for the heat treatment of heavy liquid hydrocarbons, the combination of a plurality of treating units each comprising a casing, 115 with extended vertical walls of heat-conductive material, and a contact mass enclosed by said casing, the treating units being arranged with said walls in substantially parallel relation but separated to provide intervening free air spaces 1% through which heat may be transferred, by radiation and convection, from each unit to the next adjacent units, means enclosing said plurality of units to retain heated air in contact therewith, and valve-controlled connecting means for alternately admitting, to each unit, hydrocarbon to be treated and gases for causing exothermic combustion of deposits on the contact mass therein, alternate units being connected together to form two groups of units, thereby to permit hy- 1m drooarbons to be fed to one group while regenerating gases are simultaneously fed to the other group and vice versa.

ALFRED JOSEPH. 

